Building a canal in China

There is a small village in the mountains in China. In 1959 there was no rain at all. The following years were also very dry. People could not grow plants and there was no food for animals. The village people wanted to move to another place where there was water. However a young guy, called Huang Dafa, came up with an idea:

The people didn’t think that it was a good idea and they laughed at him. The work looked really hard and dangerous. The canal had to be built in rock, and the road was very narrow.

Huang Dafa started to build the canal by himself. When the people saw how hard he worked, they started to help him. After several years of work most people gave up and left the canal, but Huang Dafa never gave up. He wanted to learn more about canals and went to a university to study engineering. Then he went back and started the work over. Other people from the village came to help him, and in 1996, after 36 years, they finished the canal. It brings fresh water to the village, enough for 1200 people. Huang Dafa has become a celebrity in China.

• What do you think about this guy?
• Do you like him?
• Was his idea useful? Expensive?
• What would happen if your place didn't have water at all?